Standard Sport understands Chelsea’s No 1 is facing up to four months on the sidelines and it is believed he will require surgery.

Courtois is aware the situation will have an effect on his future and where he might be playing next season.

As Standard Sport revealed earlier this month, the 21-year-old is in advanced talks over a new contract and an announcement is now expected after the second leg of Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final against Atletico next Wednesday.

Patrick Barclay's Premier League team of the season

Patrick Barclay's Premier League team of the season

1/12
DAVID MARSHALL

The Luis Suarez of goalkeepers. It could be argued Marshall has saved as many goals on Cardiff’s behalf as Suarez has scored for Liverpool. The wonder is he’s got to the age of 29 with a mere 11 caps for Scotland. A boy wonder (with Celtic) turned late developer.

2/12
SEAMUS COLEMAN

The very model of a modern full-back, Coleman drives forward with searing pace and has much better skills than other quickies such as Tottenham’s Kyle Walker. As impressive this season as Everton colleague Leighton Baines, which is saying something, the Irishman merits Champions League football.

3/12
GARY CAHILL

To keep Vincent Kompany and Martin Skrtel out of my side, Cahill has needed to improve steadily through the season. Job done. The Chelsea man has height, good feet and an increasing awareness of the need for defensive concentration that can only have come from association with John Terry.

4/12
JOHN TERRY

I thought he looked a bit rusty in the first couple of months of the season. The old eyes must have been deceiving me. Terry is still tough and relentlessly determined but a little cleverer, if anything, and often so majestic in his passing as to suggest he could quite comfortably play in midfield.

5/12
LUKE SHAW

Not to choose someone from Southampton would seem odd and, besides, the powerful teenager has performed so consistently well as to leave Ashley Cole sweating on a World Cup place with England. He’s not a bad defender as well as excellent going forward. A young Maldini, maybe.

6/12
STEVEN GERRARD

In my opinion, the England captain is playing the best football of his life now Brendan Rodgers has convinced him that Roy Of The Rovers is best left in comics (not that he didn’t bring the role to glorious life more than a few times). A truly responsible leader, nearing greatness.

7/12
YAYA TOURE

He may have the build of a brick outhouse but there are not many daintier technicians in a Premier League midfield (okay, maybe David Silva, just) than Toure. Also as devastating a free-kick exponent as any, curling them low over the wall and inside the near post.

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8/12
RAHEEM STERLING

You keep waiting for his form to dip but it just gets better and better — and more complex. The sudden twist with which he made space to score against Manchester City might have come from Pathe footage of a young Pele. Over-excited? Yes but I don’t see such class every day.

9/12
AARON RAMSEY

Many on the Emirates slopes despaired of him. But it took time and guts to get over a badly broken leg and Ramsey has proved himself with a quite magnificent (if again injury-interrupted) season. As a goalscoring midfielder, up there with vintage Lampard.

10/12
EDEN HAZARD

Exciting enough, especially before Christmas, to be a Player of the Year candidate in a normal season. Unfortunately for the Belgian, this isn’t a normal season. But he’s of a type Jose Mourinho loves — a flair player with a work ethic. Quick too. A Chelsea legend in the making.

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11/12
LUIS SUAREZ

The Uruguayan’s made it an abnormal season. Having missed the start due to illicit use of those trademark teeth, he took the Premier League by the scruff of its neck and made Liverpool the most dramatically improved team. Players’ Player of the Year and Suarez has, in all likelihood, won over the football writers too.

12/12
AND MY RESERVE XI

It has to be Hugo Lloris in goal despite the continuing excellence of Petr Cech and Wojciech Szczesny’s resurgence. Across the back are Pablo Zabaleta, Kompany, Skrtel — I didn’t think much of him until this season — and Baines. Jordan Henderson and Fernandinho are the first line of midfield, with Adam Lallana, Sergio Aguero and Ross Barkley in the creative positions and Daniel Sturridge up front. On second thoughts, Barkley’s time will come — I’m going 4-3-3 and leaving him out in favour of Mile Jedinak, representing Tony Pulis’s Crystal Palace.

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Courtois has been on loan at the La Liga club for three seasons and was prepared to go back to Vicente Calderon for another 12 months due to Cech’s form.

But with Cech now possibly missing the start of the next campaign, Courtois will be given the opportunity to impress throughout pre-season at Chelsea instead.

Manager Jose Mourinho is a huge admirer of the Belgium goalkeeper and wanted him to compete with Cech for a starting position next season anyway.

At the moment Chelsea’s other goalkeepers are Mark Schwarzer and Hilario and both are out of contract in the summer.

Atletico are still hopeful Courtois will join them for another 12 months but with Cech facing the possibility of making a late start to his preparations next term, Mourinho will be more reluctant to let him go.